Ice Crushing to Nome

11 January 2012
7:38 PM

Sunrise at	10:37 AM	in direction	147°	South-southeast
Sunset at	3:21 PM	in direction	213°	South-southwest

Duration of day: 4 hours, 44 minutes (5 minutes, 14 seconds longer than yesterday)

View of the USCGC Healy from the Russian tanker Renda

One of the big stories in Alaska right now is the progress of the Ice breaker, USCGC Healy, escorting the Russian Tanker, Renda, to Nome.  The Renda carries fuel to Nome, ensuring there are sufficient supplies to last the winter.  The last barge delivery of fuel was impeded by an early Bering Sea storm.  As a result, fuel was not delivered before the sea iced up.

The Cutter, Healy, is the only functioning USCG polar icebreaker.  At 420', it is classified as a large cutter and therefore under the Pacific Area command. A search for good pictures of the ice breaker was rewarded with a series of photos by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Francis/USCG. The photo at the right is one of hers.  Also,  GCaptain : Cutter Healy in Action provides several in the photo stream for those of you who crave as many images of the amazing ship as I did.  The technology of ice breaking has continued to progress, and the Healy represents its latest advances. 

Visiting the USCG blog, Coast Guard Compass - Nome,  also provides links to videos of icebreakers in action.

The story pulls at me for several reason.

• I follow the news at SP Kennel, a mushing kennel in the borough.  Family members of the mushers live in Nome, one of them an infant under a year.  
• Nome has faced issues with deliveries of needed supplies before, which precipitated the Serum Run in 1925.  Serum was freighted by train to Nenana, then dog sled team relayed it from Nenana (about 70 miles from Fairbanks) to Nome.  
• Nome is the destination of the Iditarod making its burled arch a familiar site to anyone who follows that race.
• It emphasizes the danger we all are in if oil supplies are cut.  In Alaska, Nome and all villages above tree line are especially vulnerable with no alternative fuel sources.  But the truth is, we have built up an entire civilization based on one fuel source.  It seems idiotic.
• And last but not least,  Teresa (my daughter) and I co-sponsor a sled dog whose name is Cutter.  My goofy brain loves the connection.

The Healy and Renda made decent progress over the weekend, but barely made progress Tuesday; they traveled 9 miles but drifted back in the ice shifts for a total forward progress of six miles.  Then once again the dynamic nature of the ice shifted and they are now less than 100 miles from Nome.  A drone is also assisting the mission.  It is measuring sea ice depth and composition, then relying it to scientists on the crowd.  The drone has pinpointed an ice ridge near Nome, for example, that could mean it is the last point the vessels will be able to travel.

This could be good or bad.  It would be bad if the ridge was too far out for the tanker's delivery hoses to reach, but good if within the delivery distance because it would provide stability for the vessels and reduce fractures along the ice to impede hoses, etc.  According to online news articles, the Renda has over a mile of hose for delivery and at last report, the unpassable ridge of ice was within that distance.

For daily reports and more photos, search APRN (Alaska Public Radio) or Anchorage Daily News.  ADN provides a listing of recent articles when using keywords Healy, Renda, or Nome.

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Epilogue:  Healy, Renda reach ice-free water